Gods
Eternal Pattern
From
the beginning of time and through the Old Testament era, God has revealed
His pattern of salvation for humanity in small epochs. Today, under the Christian
dispensation of time, God’s complete revelation, as it relates to this side
of time, has been clearly revealed to the world (Ephesians 1:9-10; 3:1-11).
The mystery that was once hidden from the world is now clearly visible and
able to be understood.
God has always had an eternal purpose and he purposed it in Himself before the world began. Before God created a single element of creation He developed a plan to save man and woman. The plan that God developed and purposed in Himself is divine and eternal, it will never change.
Following Gods divine and eternal pattern can easily help a person identify the church of the Bible. From the beginning of time and up to this present day, God has always worked and revealed things through a systematic pattern (Tupos/Mystery).
Historically, every building God commanded His men to build
followed a strict pattern. Noah was given a pattern for the architectural
design of the ark (Genesis 6:14-16), Moses received specific
instructions in relationship to the pattern for building the tabernacle (Exodus
26-28), and Solomon was commanded to follow a pattern in building the
temple (1 Chronicles 28:11-18).
In understanding that God had a pattern for His people to worship Him under His Old Testament covenant, one should be able to understand that God has a pattern for His New Testament House (the church) and worship. David was not allowed to build a House for God because of his previous behavior but God commanded David’s son Solomon to build a temple for the Nation of Israel. Solomon was not allowed to build a temple according to his own desires; he had to follow the commands and pattern of God.
- 1
Chronicles 28:11 “Then David gave to Solomon his son the pattern of
the porch, and of the houses thereof, and of the treasuries thereof, and
of the upper chambers thereof, and of the inner parlours thereof, and of
the place of the mercy seat…”
- 1
Chronicles 28:19 “All this, said David, the LORD made me understand
in writing by his hand upon me, even all the works of this pattern...”
Man has always had difficulty following God’s pattern. Yet,
difficulty understanding or following God’s pattern does not nullify that He
has one and expects it to be followed. In worship to God today many people want
to invent their own patterns for worshipping God and even the reception of
salvation. The prophet Jeremiah knew about this mentality and through God
commanded that the “old paths” be sought.
- Jeremiah
6:16 “Thus saith the LORD, Stand ye in the ways, and see, and ask
for the old paths, where is the good way, and walk therein, and ye shall
find rest for your souls. But they said, We will not walk therein.”
The Hebrew writer confirms the fact that we should be seeking the old paths and following the pattern of God. Prophetically, the old paths refer not only referred to Old Testament doctrine but to also the return to New Testament doctrine because many have developed their own false teachings in the Christian dispensation of time. (Acts 20:28-30; 1 Timothy 4:1-4; 2 Timothy 4:1-4). God had an Old Testament pattern and He has a New Testament pattern today. The Old Testament pattern had to be taken out of the way, it was nailed to the cross with Christ (Colossians 2:14). Moses had to stick to his Old Testament pattern just as Christians and those desirous of becoming Christians must stick to God’s New testament pattern:
- Hebrews
8:5 “Who serve unto the example and shadow of heavenly things, as
Moses was admonished of God when he was about to make the tabernacle: for,
See, saith he, that thou make all things according to the pattern shewed
to thee in the mount.”
Solomon built a physical temple with his hands and followed
the pattern given to him by his father David. Solomon followed the pattern and
was a successful builder. The temple Solomon built was physical and made with
hands but Jesus Christ has built a new spiritual temple made without hands:
- Hebrews
9:11 “But Christ being come an high priest of good things to come,
by a greater and more perfect tabernacle, not made with hands, that is to
say, not of this building…”
Jesus promised that He would build this new spiritual temple in a meager three days:
John 2:18 “Then answered the Jews and said unto him, What sign shewest thou unto us, seeing that thou doest these things? 19 Jesus answered and said unto them, Destroy this temple, and in three days I will raise it up. 20 Then said the Jews, Forty and six years was this temple in building, and wilt thou rear it up in three days? 21 But he spake of the temple of his body.”
Some people may say that the temple Jesus promised to build
in three days was His body and not the church. However, we have biblical
evidence to prove that the body of Jesus is the church and Christians are added
to His body through baptism:
- Colossians
1:24 “Who now rejoice in my sufferings for you, and fill up that
which is behind of the afflictions of Christ in my flesh for his body's
sake, which is the church.”
When discussing this pattern from and Old and New Testament
perspective the word pattern must be defined in both the Hebrew and Greek
languages:
- The Hebrew word for pattern is Tavnith and it is defined as a pattern, or model for building.
- The Greek word for pattern is Tupos and is defined as a stamp, model, or pattern.
On a New Testament level this word is made manifest through the word form (Tupos) in the following scripture:
· Romans 6:17 But God be thanked, that ye were the servants of sin, but ye have obeyed from the heart that form of doctrine which was delivered you.
God was glorified through
the fact that the Christians in Rome, like all other Christians in the Bible, believed
the same pattern of teaching/doctrine. God has a distinct pattern of salvation
and worship for His church and She can
be identified and others can be falsified through investigating the eternal and
divine pattern.
Gods pattern has been clearly revealed and the revelation is that all men and women who will be saved by God will be and are in one church. God’s eternal purpose (the purpose He purposed in Himself alone) never included a plurality of different churches with different beliefs and doctrines. God’s divine and eternal pattern, from the beginning of the world, included Jesus Christ dying for and establishing one church for all obedient believers to be added.
- Ephesians
1:9 Having made known unto us the mystery of his will, according to
his good pleasure which he hath purposed in himself: 10 That in the
dispensation of the fulness of times he might gather together in one
all things in Christ, both which are in heaven, and which are on
earth; even in him:
Before we move into some areas of contending for the faith observe some key and critical concepts concerning God, His church, and pattern:
- Ephesians
3:5 Which in other ages was not made known unto the sons of
men, as it is now revealed unto his holy apostles and prophets by the
Spirit; 6 That the Gentiles should be fellowheirs, and of
the same body, and partakers of his promise in Christ by the gospel: 7
Whereof I was made a minister, according to the gift of the grace of God
given unto me by the effectual working of his power. 8 Unto me, who
am less than the least of all saints, is this grace given, that I should
preach among the Gentiles the unsearchable riches of Christ; 9 And
to make all men see what is the fellowship of the mystery, which
from the beginning of the world hath been hid in God, who created all
things by Jesus Christ: 10 To the intent that now unto the
principalities and powers in heavenly places might be known by the
church the manifold wisdom of God, 11 According to the eternal
purpose which he purposed in Christ Jesus our Lord:
- In
times past the mystery/pattern was hid.
- Today
the mystery/pattern is clearly revealed through the teaching of
scripture.
- The
eternal plan/pattern/purpose was created by God and cannot be altered by
man.
- All
men and women are to be saved through one church. The church God purposed
and His Son purchased and died for (Acts 20:38).
A crucial element concerning the Christians of the Bible was that they continued in the Apostles doctrine. In other words after they were baptized they continued to follow the same pattern of teaching that had been delivered to them initially and subsequently by the inspired apostles. This is a replica of what the Christians in Rome did (Romans 6:17). They all obeyed the same pattern (Tupos) of teaching.
- Acts
2:42 And they continued steadfastly in the apostles' doctrine and
fellowship, and in breaking of bread, and in prayers.
We have a huge problem in the world today when different groups have different religious views about God. God developed one plan and one church to save man and woman in and the plan is eternal, it will never change.
What is God’s Biblical Doctrine/Teaching and Pattern
for:
- Mechanical instruments of music in church worship? (Hebrews 2:12)
- Laying
on of hands and miraculous healings today? (Acts 8:4-17)
- Speaking
in tongues today? (1 Corinthians 13:8-10)
- The frequency of taking communion? (2 Thessalonians 2:15; Acts 20:7)
- Women
preachers? (1 Corinthians 14:34; 1 Timothy 2:9-12)
- The
necessity of water baptism? (Mark 16:15-16; Acts 2:37-38; 16:30-33; 1
Peter 3:20-21)
God has paved a way to save you today!